


The Best and Worst in Me

by hedatopaz



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: F/F, Fluff, but also you know, carol being soft, murdering her sister, nsfw scenes, the Debbie murder will be included as well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-06-22 22:01:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15591639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedatopaz/pseuds/hedatopaz
Summary: “You don’t know shit about shit. You’re not the only one that has a life here.”Barbara Denning thinks she’s met her soulmate. Carol Denning knows she has. Moving was already unsatisfactory, but with Brandy in the picture, it’s not even an option. Meet the girl indirectly behind the Debbie murder and the side of the story you never heard.





	1. Bulltrue! (Introduction)

“Oh, oh my god, _Carol_ , oh my god, _fuck_ , oh my god, _CAROL!_ ”

Brandy’s legs shook violently as she felt herself again reduced to a moaning mess. Her tight grip to her grey bed sheets loosened as she caught her breath.

Carol smirked and raised her head up from Brandy’s thighs. “Tell me again how I’m not the boss of you?”

Brandy rolled her eyes as she caught her breath.  
“Fuck you,” she laughed, “not fair.”

Carol raised her eyebrows in a teasing manner, “Well, I just did. Fuck you, that is.” Carol grinned, she was always one to take advantage of puns.

Brandy playfully shoved her, trying her best not to smile at the girl’s foolishness. Carol laid down next to her and found herself scrambling for words as to not fade into awkward silence. Her search ended when as a mutter broke the stillness in the room.

“You’re amazing.”

“Pfft, no I’m not.” Carol was known to uphold a confident demeanor, one that naturally excuded self assurance. However, Brandy had a way of reducing her to a bundle of nerves.

Brandy turned her head to face hers, giving her a stare.

“I’m serious. You are, like, dangerously amazing. I-“

She was cut short by the dinging of an alarm clock. Rolling her eyes, she got up to shut it off.

“Damn thing’s broken again.”

Carol gulped at the sight of the numbers of the clock.

“5? Is that right? It’s 5?”

“Yeah,” Brandy sighed, putting her hands onto her hips. “should be.”

“God damn it!” Carol cursed, jumping out of the messy bed. “Fucking shit, fucking Debbie has her stupid gymnastics, and it’s starting, and-“

Brandy’s eyes widened at the sight of her hysteria, but she knew how much her family worshipped her younger sister. It didn’t make her panic any less alarming, but it did make it justified.

“They’re going to fucking _kill_ me.” Carol whined, fearing the inevitable wrath of her parents.

“Shh. Babe. Get there in the middle of it, they won’t even notice you’ve been gone.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better? That my parents don’t give enough of a shit about me to notice my presence?”

Brandy kissed Carol on the forehead, “If it gets you out of trouble, then yes, it should.”

Carol gathered a small smile. “Well of course, because then I can see _you_.”

The taller girl smirked, “Exactly.”

“It’s shit we have to sneak around like this anyway. Barb gets to eat her boyfriend’s face in the middle of the hallway.”

“Ways of the world.” Brandy sighed, pulling out a cigarette. She brought it to her mouth and lit it, avoiding looking at Carol as she left.

Carol frowned. “You and your cancer sticks…can you look at me?”

“You shouldn’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Brandy responded. “Besides, we all have our bad habits. As for looking at you, it’s just hard when you just always…fuck off.”

Carol put on her coat. “Not my fault.” She muttered as she leaned up to her. “I’d never leave you if it were up to me.” She laid a kiss on her lips and ran out the door.

“Bullshit.” Brandy mumbled, not meaning for Carol to hear it.

Carol, already halfway through the door, cheered back, “Bulltrue!”

Brandy’s eyes flickered, she always took to loving that dumb little phrase of hers. “Carol, I-“ interrupted by the door slam, she sighed, “think I’m in love with you.”

Carol, again, wasn’t mean to hear that. She did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brandy examines her unprecedented feelings for Carol and finds herself wanting more. An introduction to Brandy’s character.

Brandy couldn’t shake it. She felt empty. Carol usually left her feeling full, with butterflies in her stomach and thoughts racing through her head. Maybe that was the problem. Brandy had sex with girls, she didn’t fall in love with them. No, it was not in the game plan whatsoever. She took pride in her gaydar, scoping out the closet lesbians, the secret bisexuals, and the experimenting straight girls.

She’d slept with so many girls, she had earned herself a bit of a reputation. It didn’t matter because her parents never paid attention enough to know, and she convinced herself and everyone else that it was “just sex”. Brandy even fucked a few guys to make sure it wouldn’t get around to her family. She kept a few boyfriends, and hated all of them, but she had to be with them. She just had to.

The silence in the house was driving her crazy. Usually she enjoyed it, having a house to yourself presents endless opportunities. But, Brandy’s house was _always_ empty, except for when she had girls over. Her father was always off working, her mother was always off having a not so secret affair, and her brother was always off with his delinquent middle school friends. It left her alone and it wasn’t ideal, but at least no one was on her shit like Carol’s family was. She could do as she pleased, a freedom most teenagers don’t have.

It didn’t make it feel any less empty.

She wondered how Carol hated her family life so much. She’d always be coming over. It was annoying at first, especially when she didn’t want to fuck, but then she came to crave it. She never had anyone over unless she was going to screw them, and then they’d leave shortly after with no strings attached on either end. But, Carol? Carol would talk with her, play video games with her, read with her and any sorts of mundane things of the sort. (They were never mundane when it was with her.) They even took naps together…who knew you could lay in the same bed with someone without going at it?

It was almost as if they were a couple. It was an idiotic thought to entertain, the thought of being in a relationship with a girl. No, she could only date boys. Two girls in a _relationship_? Forget it. She could only dream up such a thing in a fairytale, because that just wasn’t the way things were.

She wondered what Carol’s family thought. If they knew about her. She didn’t ask, because it was a foolish thing to ask, but she wondered. She wasn’t exactly the girl people told their parents about, she was the one their parents told them to stay away from. Come to think of it, she and Carol came from quite different backgrounds. A family always there vs a family never there. Although there was one thing they both had in common about their families: they knew nothing about their daughters, and didn’t care to know.

It was better kept that way, at least on Brandy’s part. They didn’t mind her smoking, but the alcohol and her sex life wouldn’t go over well. Plus the fact that she was having sex with _girls_ … that would result in not having a home at all. Maybe conversion therapy or something of that. She’d heard the horror stories and she knew she could never end up there.

Brandy brushed away such thoughts and took one last drag of her cigarette before putting it out. Her stomach began to growl, but to her luck all the fridge held was mustard and orange juice. She checked the freezer, which had frozen fruit and those shitty microwave meals you get for your kids because they have an animal on the front.

Microwave meal it is.

Brandy ripped the box open and through it in the microwave. She set the timer and sat down on a cold barstool, thinking of her not-girlfriend. Brandy didn’t want to think anymore. She knew it was way too early to go to sleep, but she didn’t feel like staying up and worrying about things she had little control over. She knew her father would come home soon, so she only had so much time to wander around the house anyway. Maybe she’d take some sleeping pills so she wouldn’t have to wrestle with her inner turmoil for one night. After dinner.

The microwave dinged, signaling that her far-from-gourmet meal was ready. As she began to eat, she heard the door slam open. It was the usual shouting of curse words and spewed insults that occurred whenever her parents were in the same room.

She ran to her room, hoping to find solace there.

“Fucking Brandy! Always leaving her shit everywhere.”

A contrary statement seeing as Brandy never left any of her things anywhere but the house; that was her brother’s job. Brandy couldn’t help herself but to run down after her name was called, remaining out of sight and trying to see what she had “left.”

She recognized the item immediately: Carol’s beanie. It was a perfect excuse to leave, and a perfect excuse to see her. So, once her parents took their argument to another room, she ran to the hat and ran out the door. She smelled it, immediately feeling at peace.

“Damn it.” Brandy muttered to herself. She really is in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be more similar to my writing style, although there isn’t much dialogue in this one. Next chapter will do the same introduction with Carol, but it will be more brief since she is already a canon character. Then, it will dive into the story!
> 
> Feel free to give me feedback, I love reading comments on what I write. Thanks for reading & I should have the next chapter up by tomorrow!


	3. Debbie the Devil

Carol HATED her little sister. Not in the way she hated Barb, no, that was sibling rivalry, that was I hate you because you’re annoying-but I love you because you’re my sister. She hated Debbie as in I hate you because you’re a little fucking cunt-but nothing, I hate you.

Her notebook held sketches of her, choking on glass shards, run over by trucks, bleeding out on a dirty floor, you name it. It was all in good fun, it was no different from Debbie sketching her butterflies, she was just sketching her little sister’s death. No difference.

When her mother was pregnant, Carol told her all she wanted was a little sister. When said sister was born, she spit on her. Debbie took up all her well deserved attention and broke her toys. Nothing good had come from her except someone to boss around, which Carol could get easily with her demeanor anyway.

She first began sketching her when she was 9, she called her “Debbie the Devil.” She would be a stick person with devil horns crying. Now, she’s a bloody, lifeless corpse. Call it artistic development, or sociopathy, potato potatoe.

Now, Debbie was taking her from the first good thing to happen to her in years. Brandy Louis.

She was a wonder and Carol couldn’t understand it. Why Brandy Louis would hang out with and hook up with _her_ , she did not know. She wanted so badly to call Brandy her girlfriend, but she was hyper sensitive not to do anything to push her away or end up looking clingy. She was already pressing her luck.

She sketched Brandy too. Whether it be with flowers in her midnight brown hair or extending her eyeliner into spiraled wings on her face. Carol saw her as nothing less than a work of art, and she knew her shitty drawings couldn’t completely capture it.

Carol had taken the bus to the mall, which was only a block from the center Debbie was competing at. She ran nonetheless, arriving just before Debbie went on.

“Finally. Where’ve you been?” Barbara scoffed. “Off with the fucking chess club?”

Carol looked up in irritation, before rolling her eyes and taking a seat next to her.

“Shit, your hair’s a mess. Do you have some boyfriend I don’t know about?”

Carol narrowed her eyes. “Fuck off, Barb.”

“Yeah, I’m taking that as a no.” Barbara replied with a laugh.

As Debbie’s name was announced, the two sisters collectively groaned. If there was one thing they shared, it was their hatred of the young girl.

Carol regretted leaving to come to Debbie’s meet. It wasn’t just boring and dull, it was enraging. If it was her doing something, her parents wouldn’t give two shits, but everyone dropped everything the second Debbie was involved. Barb was easily the second favorite, leaving Carol dead last in her parents’ eyes, but even she would not warrant the attention they gave their acrobatic angel.

Carol stared off into the distance, coming straight from Brandy’s house left her with nothing to distract her from the monotony of the children’s routines.

Then, her dark eyed guardian angel stood in the corner of her eye.

She was holding a beanie, which Carol immediately recognized to be hers. Brandy’s skinny hands kneaded the cloth, trying her best to calm her nerves.

“Yours.” Brandy spoke, her eyes trained on Carol’s, and her mind trained on appearing indifferent.

Carol blinked, unsure why Brandy would be _here_ , of all places. She didn’t register the beanie in her hands before Barb.

“Oh, it’s that hat you always wear. Wondered why you’d forgotten it in the dead of winter.” Barb said, attempting to snatch the beanie before Carol could. Carol elbowed her, putting her hands slowly onto the cloth. It was an odd moment, with both the girls’ hands laying gently on the hat, it seemed as if it was a scene from a movie rather than an item return.

Brandy cleared her throat, shifting her hands away from the beanie so Carol could take it.

Barb thought it was a bit weird, but Carol was more than a _bit_ weird to her. She naturally brushed it off and began to needle her sister.

“So, who’s this and why does she have your hat?”

It was a simple question but it threw both of them off. It took a good ten seconds for either of them to say something, with Carol frozen and Brandy terrified to say the wrong thing. Brandy extended her hand.

“Brandy Louis. Friend of Carol’s. We-were…studying.”

Carol subdued a laugh, finding it a challenge not to immediately see a sexual pun in the statement. She turned to Barb and nodded in confirmation.

“Well, that’s nice. Carol doesn’t have many friends.” Barb replied, smirking menacingly.

“What the fuck?” Carol fumed as she punched her sister in the arm. She quickly turned back to Brandy. “Not true. She’s just a bitch.”

“Yeah…makes no difference to me. Don’t you have a boyfriend you’ll break up with in a week to go snog?” Brandy jibed, coming quickly to Carol’s defense.

Barb became obviously annoyed from the small jab at her, due to her sensitive nature. “Whatever, raccoon eyes. Have fun with my nerdy little sister and have your fucking tea parties.” The older sister retorted, storming off.

She turned around just as she left and looked Carol dead in the eye.

“At least I _have_ a boyfriend.”

The two girls exchanged glances, amused by the irony. Carol wasn’t able to subdue her laughing this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to give feedback & thanks for reading!


	4. Not-Girlfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The words Carol weren’t supposed to hear are driving her crazy and she decides to confront Brandy about it. Mostly fluff with smut at the end of the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is basically fluff but there IS a smut scene at the end so if you’re uncomfortable with that it starts at “i would hope not”. Hope you enjoy!

Carol twisted a bracelet around her wrist as she listened to the monotone voice of her physics teacher. It had been a month, and she and Brandy had _still_ yet to speak of the words that came out of Brandy’s mouth.

“I think I’m in love with you.”

First of all, no one loved Carol, let alone was _in_ love with her. It didn’t make any sense.

Second of all, how can you say that and not speak of it? Carol supposed it wasn’t _exactly_ Brandy’s fault because Carol likely wasn’t even supposed to hear it. It drove her nuts nonetheless.

“Miss Denning.”

Carol suddenly realized she was in the room alone with her teacher. The bell had rung and she was still here daydreaming about her Brandy.

She got up quickly, wanting as many seconds of awkwardness avoided as possible. The next bell rung, signally it was time for her to go to her next class. It was on the other side of the building, so she was sure to be late. She didn’t really care, seeing as she was very rarely late to class. One time couldn’t hurt.

As Carol walked in she was greeted with a disapproving stare from her teacher. Carol ignored it and took a seat, as she resumed her train of thought. Nothing had really changed between the two girls, and usually Carol would be happy of the fact. The words just could not leave her alone though.

Instead of taking the bus home, Carol walked to Brandy’s house after school. She rang the doorbell and waited anxiously, she was going to solve this.

Brandy opened the door, her wavy brown locks running down her shoulders and her arm resting upon the wall. She eyed Carol up and down and motioned towards the house.

“Come in.”

The house reeked of cigarettes. Carol was never one to mind the smell of cigarette smoke, but this was overbearing. Both of Brandy’s parents smoked, leaving her little brother to be the only non-smoker in the family. It wasn’t uncommon for the time, but Carol still wasn’t quite used to it.

Brandy took Carol by surprise and grabbed her neck, kissing her roughly on the lips. Carol always enjoyed physical affection from her, but she found herself pushing her back.

“No-no, that’s, not why I came over.”

Brandy raised her eyebrows. “No?”

Carol sighed. “No.” She bit her lip anxiously and began to sway back and forth. “I wanted to ask you something.”

Brandy sat down on her couch. “The floor is yours.”

“Remember that night, that you came to Debbie’s meet…to bring me that beanie?”

Brandy pulled a cigarette pack out from under the couch cushion. “Of course.” She pulled a cigarette out of it and pulled her red lighter out of her coat pocket.

“When I left your house, I think I heard you-“ Carol shook her hands nervously. “say something.”

Brandy lit the cigarette, or rather tried to. The lighter could not hold a flame. “And what would that be?”

Carol knew it was better to just rip the bandaid off, stumbling over her words wouldn’t do any good. “You said that you’re in love with me.”

Brandy began agressively trying to light the cigarette, flicking the lighter on, off, and on again. It was clear she wanted to change the subject, but it was unclear how lighting a cigarette would do so.

Carol held Brandy’s wrist, stopping her frantic attempts of getting the lighter to work. “Listen to me, please. I just-“ Brandy looked up at Carol, it was obviously harder for her than it was for Brandy. “-need to know.”

Brandy slowly set down the cigarette and looked off into the distance, looking at Carol was going to make this way harder. “Look, I’m sorry you heard that. You weren’t meant to. I just-I don’t know. I guess I caught feelings, and I’m sorry, and that’s my fault, and I understand if you-“

Carol stopped her from continuing, kissing her on the lips. “I-I love you too.” She looked like a child on christmas morning. “No one’s ever-no one’s ever loved me before.” Carol whispered, clearly taken aback by Brandy’s response.

Brandy’s heart broke for her, but she picked herself together quickly and smiled. “Well, I do.”

Carol smiled widely, her eyes lighting up. She sat down next to Brandy, laying her head on her shoulder. “So,” Carol began laughing, half joking and half waiting for an answer. “What are we?”

The two girls burst into laughter, knowing the question was so cliché. The laughing faded and Brandy turned her head to face Carol’s. “I don’t know. I mean I don’t know how it works between two girls.”

“Couldn’t you just call me your girlfriend?” Carol asked.

“No, that’s too lame. In high school, girlfriend means I take you to football games then ditch you to hang out with my friends, hold your hand in the hallway and cheat on you with your sister.” Brandy replied and pulled her feet up to the couch . “No, you’re not my girlfriend. You’re my…”

“What, your, not, girlfriend?” Carol jibed playfully.

“Yeah.” Brandy smiled. “My not-girlfriend.”

Carol was only joking but the thought of meaning something to someone was, put simply, heaven.

“Okay, not-girlfriends it is.” Carol beamed, extending her hand.

The two girls shook hands, as if they were agreeing on a business compromise. They both broke into blissful laughter, completely content in the moment.

Brandy turned to Carol, with a serious look on her face. “Really though, would never fuck your sister. Even _I_ have standards.”

“I would hope not.” Carol laughed, kissing her on the lips. “You’re all mine.” Carol coaxed, changing her tone rather quickly. She wrapped her legs around Brandy, kissing her roughly.

Brandy pulled her head back, “Not what you came over here for, huh?” She teased.

“Shut up.” Carol said, rolling her eyes.

“Make me.” Brandy simpered.

Carol smirked, leaning down to kiss her roughly once again. She began to kiss her neck, leaving hickies as she went. All hell would break loose if Brandy were to do the same, but lucky for her, Brandy’s family would barely see her face, let alone her neck, and she was known to be promiscuous anyway.

She began to lower her kisses down to her torso until she got down to her destination. Brandy bit her lip, obviously turned on. She took off her leggings and underwear, exposing herself to Carol. Carol wasted no time and began going down on her. Brandy moaned in pleasure, causing Carol to pick up her pace. She sucked on Brandy’s clit as her hips bucked up.

“Oh, you taste so good.” Carol spoke as she pushed her hands up her (not) girlfriend’s shirt. She twisted her nipples, making her yelp in both pain and pleasure. Carol kept going, relentlessly, until Brandy was practically screaming. Her body jerks became more violent, as she was on the edge.

“Say my name.” Carol ordered. Brandy was quick to obey as she shouted Carol’s name through her climax. Once she was through, she sat up as she caught her breath.

Carol leaned back, quite satisfied with herself. She was ready to give some smug remark until she heard Brandy speak.

“My turn.”

Carol didn’t have time to speak as Brandy smashed her lips against hers. Brandy bit Carol’s lips until they bled. If she couldn’t leave hickies, she had to make up for it somehow, didn’t she?

She began to grope Carol’s breasts, riding her hips against hers. She was still sore from her recent orgasm but pleasuring her (not) girlfriend was way more important. She slipped her fingers into Carol’s jeans, rubbing her clit _hard_. Carol began moaning and muttering curse words, it just felt _so_ good.

Brandy unbuttoned and unzipped Carol’s jeans to give her more room to work with. She pushed the coffee table across the room, and laid her down.

She continued to bite Carol’s lip as she slipped her fingers inside of her. She did it with ease, as Carol was soaking wet. Brandy started slow and rhythmic. Just as Carol got comfortable, Brandy started going harder and faster, thrusting her fingers in and out of her quickly. She looked into Carol’s eyes, which were rolling backwards in pleasure, and her bleeding lips from which moans escaped from. She could feel Carol begin to shake so she picked up the pace, making sure to hit the spots that drove Carol crazy.

As her (not) girlfriend climaxed, Brandy felt her convulse around her fingers, quickly and then slowly. Carol let out a large breath and stared back up at Brandy.

“I really do fucking love you.”

Brandy grinned. “Not as much as I do you.”


	5. Jawbreaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The origin of Carol’s love of jawbreakers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a short chapter, school has started up for me so I thought I’d kind of write a sidebar type thing because who doesn’t want more of these two? Anyway, enjoy!

Carol stepped off the foul smelling bus that took her to school every morning, and onto the pavement in front of the school. She watched Barb run off with her equally-superficial friends as leaned herself up against a pillar, like she always did.

The girl she was expecting ran up to her, exhilarated to see her as always. “Hey!” Brandy spoke in a stuffy voice.

Carol smiled, looking up to Brandy’s brown eyes. They were particularly red today, leading Carol to ask, “Are you… _high_ right now?”

Brandy laughed at the question, responding with a single word reply. “Allergies.”

It was spring now and the pollen was particularly high, so Carol understood. “Oh, yeah. I never get those. Debbie does, but my parents make her take pills that get rid of them. She _hates_ taking those pills.”

Brandy nodded. “Yeah, I’d take some but they knock me out or at the least turn me into a zombie.”

“You know there’s ones that don’t have to make you tired, right? Debbie takes those so she can still practice.”

Brandy shook her head. “Nah, I kinda like it. Takes the edge of my stress. Plus if I asked _my_ parents for special medicine, even for allergies, they’d probably go ballistic and send me to get drug tested.”

Carol pitied Brandy just as much as she envied her. At least Carol talked to her parents, but the downside was her parents talked to her as well. Mostly about Debbie or how her own shortcomings. She supposed neither situation were ideal, and had their own set of pros and cons (mostly cons).

“I could get you some.” Carol suggested.

“It’s okay. It’s really not a problem.” Brandy replied, beginning to walk in the school.

She and Carol walked towards the more crowded of the hallways close to the entrance. If they visited the mostly vacant one, they’d just have to watch straight couples eating eachother’s faces off.

After ten minutes of small talk, they said their goodbyes and left to walk to their first period class, expecting the bell to ring soon.

“Dyke bitch.” A boy jeered behind Carol. Carol heard the comment aimed towards her, but she chose to ignore it and keep walking. She couldn’t ignore Brandy’s response though.

“Fuck did you say?” Brandy seethed, grabbing the kid by the collar of his shirt.

“I said your ugly _girlfriend_ is a dyke bitch. And so are you.”

Brandy was practically fuming by now. “Wrong answer.” She punched the kid in the chub, causing him to fall to the ground. Blood began to spill on the floor and jaws began to drop around them.

“Don’t you _ever_ talk to her like that again. Or anyone else for that matter.” Brandy spoke as she held her weight over him. All eyes were on her, but she looked briefly only at one set of eyes. Carol stood from a distance, in awe of what had just occurred.

It didn’t take long for teachers to rush to the boy’s aid and for administrators to grab Brandy by the arms to drag her away. She tried to keep her eyes down, but she could feel that Carol wasn’t going to look away. Neither would anyone else for that matter, but she didn’t care about anyone else.

Brandy told them the kid had harassed a girl, trying not to get Carol involved. They didn’t care, _she_ had punched him and _she_ was going to pay the consequences. It was two hours before she even wiped the blood off of her knuckles, and two more before she received a three-week suspension. She was lucky to not receive an expulsion, as she has broken the kid’s jaw.

Brandy wasn’t remorseful about what she’d done, but she had definitely picked the wrong day to do it. Usually her mother would brush this sort of thing off, just telling her she had to find somewhere else to be during the school day for the next three weeks. Her father, however, added a few bruises to her collection. She was used to it by now, but it still hurt.

The next day Carol Denning was at her doorstep, at 2:45, meaning she had to have come straight from school.

Brandy opened the door, to frantic apologizing, “I’m so sorry you got in trouble. You didn’t have to defend me like that, I can handle-“

Brandy took the moment to shove a jawbreaker in her mouth, causing Carol to give her a puzzled look.

“I figured you’d come over, and I know you have a sweet tooth. There’s no need to apologize so there’s a jawbreaker,” she smirked. “from your favorite jawbreaker.”

Carol blushed as she began to suck on the piece of candy. Jawbreakers were now Carol’s favorite sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured out where I am going with this story, so expect the plot to pick up soon. Thought I’d add this to develop their relationship a bit more and I just could NOT resist the pun.


	6. Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brandy and Carol begin to fade apart due to miscommunication. Barb calls for an alliance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven’t updated in a little bit! I’ve just been busy with schoolwork and getting adjusted. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

When Brandy got back to school after her suspension, she experienced a hell of a lot of whispering. She’d clearly gathered attention as per the gossip had been surrounding her for the weeks she’d gone. It wasn’t all that new, she was used to the toxic environment of high school by now. What really hurt…was Carol.

Brandy had told Carol to stay away from her, at school anyways, to avoid drawing any of the talk towards her as well. It hurt them both, but it was for the best. Nonetheless, she absolutely hated it.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Carol for a week. She’d be the first to call and Carol would always had some kind of excuse, whether it be a shift at the bar she worked at, Debbie’s gymnastics, or just her parents wanting her to stay home. Maybe Carol was perfectly happy staying away from her.

Brandy hated herself for feeling so sad about it, they weren’t even technically in a relationship and here she was, missing her like crazy. She sighed, this was one of the two ways it usually ended. Either the girl would get a boyfriend and call it off, _not happening_ , or they would just gradually stop talking, _currently happening_.

As the day dragged on, Brandy became more and more desolate throughout it. She didn’t regret defending Carol, but it felt sickening that she thought she had something real. It figures.

Carol, on the other hand, was high-spirited. She couldn’t wait to see Brandy, she’d been thinking about her all day everyday for the past two weeks. She knew it was a good idea to keep her distance, but the beating in her chest said otherwise.

She was damn near heartbroken when she realized Brandy was ignoring her.

The lump in her stomach grew more and more with every glance she caught of her, and she could’ve _sworn_ she glanced back, but it didn’t matter. Brandy clearly didn’t want to see her, and this was usually how it ended anyway. She’d make friends-or in this case, _more_ -and then they’d fuck off when they realized how weird she is.

It was a tragic misunderstanding, and both girls covered their feelings fairly well. That was until they got home.

Brandy drank herself into oblivion. She was never the drinking type, much better with a cigarette, but when the times call, right? Carol probably would’ve done the same, if she had access to alcohol of any sort. Instead, she ran home to hide herself up in her room, sobbing into a pillow.

It had been eight minutes, she knew because the song “Asleep” by the Smiths had played twice, when Debbie bursted into her room.

“Carol! Have you seen my-“ Debbie yelled, quickly stopping to notice the state of her older sister. “Hey, are you okay?”

Carol turned around to see her standing in the doorway and threw the tear-stained pillow she was lying on in her direction. “Get the fuck out!” Carol screamed, with steam practically fuming out of her ears.

“Language!” Her mom screamed from the kitchen. Carol rolled her eyes and shooed her sister off, giving her a death stare in the process.

“Piss off.” Carol hissed. Debbie acknowledged the statement but didn’t move from her spot. Debbie really never knew when to leave a situation.

“C’mon Carol, I want to help! Let me help!” She whined.

Carol closed her eyes, collecting herself. She opened them slowly and raised her eyebrows. “Do ya?”

Debbie nodded eagerly, delighting that her sister was throwing her a bone.

Carol motioned for Debbie to come over to her, sporting a fictitious smile. As soon as Debbie was in arm’s reach, Carol grabbed her violently, squeezing her upper arm with force.

“You come in here one more fucking time,” she whispered, not breaking eye contact for a second, “I’ll end you.”

Debbie was clearly terrified, it was what she should’ve expected from Carol, but she was far too innocent and trusting for her own good.

As if on que, Barb sauntered into Carol’s room to see what the commotion was about. She watched as Carol’s expression mixed between despair and rage, then glanced towards Debbie in pure terror. “Carol,” She spoke, not taking her eyes off of Debbie. “now don’t be a _monster_.”

Carol’s eyes darted towards her older sister, standing just past the doorway of her room. She slowly released her grip on Debbie and waited for Barb to continue. A nasty bruise revealed itself on the youngest girl’s upper arm, courtesy of Carol.

Barb remained completely calm, as she usually did. “Debbie, don’t mind your sister. She’s on her lady time.”

Carol’s eyes narrowed at the false comment and dismissing of her emotions, but she knew it was better to let her finish.

“Now,” Barb began walking closer Debbie. “we don’t want your sister to get in trouble, do we?” Debbie shook her head. “So, you fell in practice. Got it?” Barb spoke in a calming tone as she examined the bruises. If Debbie didn’t know better, it looked as if she was enjoying the sight of them.

Barb collected herself and looked up to Debbie. “Now run along.” Debbie followed her sister’s orders and darted off to her room.

Barb turned to Carol, grinning. “So what’s got you all gloomy?”

Carol’s eyes glanced up to her, obviously full with anger. She knew she couldn’t tell her to fuck off like she did Debbie, no, Barb was a tricky matter. “Barb, why are you doing this?”

Barb danced her fingers along the railing of Carol’s bed. “Be more specific.”

Carol groaned, not surprised Barb was making things difficult. “First of all, you don’t give a fuck about what’s wrong. Second of all, what’s your angle here? You never defend me like that.”

Barb smirked. “Oh, I can’t genuinely care for my sister?” Carol rolled her eyes and Barb scoffed. “Tough crowd.”

Carol gazed up at Barb. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“An alliance.”

Carol’s eyebrows raised in confusion. “ _An alliance?_ ”

“Don’t act so surprised.” Barb glanced back towards Debbie’s room. “If there’s one thing we have in common, it’s that we both hate _her_.

Carol suppressed a laugh. “ _Debbie_? You want to go against _Debbie_?”

Barb nodded. “I’ve had it with her shit. Mom’s making me skip Jordan’s party to babysit that little cunt.”

“Jordan Parker? The guy who fucks anything that moves? Please don’t tell me you’re going to sleep with him.”

“Oh, what would you know about any of it?” Barb retorted, annoyed by the question. “But, that’s besides the point.”

Carol sighed. “Look, I’m all game. But you do know she’s got Mom and Dad wrapped around her knobby little fingers, right?”

“We can work around that.” Barb assured. “If we work together, we can ruin that little cunt’s life.”

Carol didn’t know where this was coming from, but she was liking it. She needed a release for her emotions anyways and she hated her little sister with a passion.

“ _I’m in_.”


	7. Angel Wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I’m going to say is get prepared for some angst.

“One week until freedom” was spray painted in red on the side of the school. Carol couldn’t relate to the sentiment, knowing summer only presented more shifts at Demingo’s and more gymnastics meets to go to and more opportunities to be stuck at home babysitting her devil of a sister.

Nonetheless, summer always presented new opportunities. She and Barb had been screwing with Debbie for the past month. Stealing her shit, making her late to practice, putting laxatives in her smoothie, _you name it_. They’d almost balded her, mixing chemicals and hair removal products in her shampoo. Too bad she’d thrown it out because she wanted the one that smelled like strawberries.

Carol was anything but confident about her finals coming up, but her parents rarely took notice in her grades anyways. As long as she passed, it didn’t matter too much. Her parents didn’t hold high expectations for her, so she didn’t hold any for herself either.

Carol stepped onto the bus behind her sister, whose shoulders were tense and rigid. Unlike Carol, Barb actually did have high expectations set for her by her parents. Carol didn’t know if it was because she was the eldest or because they just thought Barb was better than her. Usually this sort of thing would hurt, but watching her sister’s anxiety pile to the roof, it didn’t.

She sat down in the back, like she always did, in the spot she always did. No one dared to sit next to her, as she’d likely bite their head off if they tried to. She pulled out her notebook and began to sketch a rose, out of boredom. As the ride continued, the bus hit a speed bump, causing Carol to drop her notebook halfway through her drawing. She groaned and leaned over to pick it back up.

The bent notebook had landed on page with a portrait of a dark-haired girl with a halo atop her head. Her eyes were emphasized by heavily shaded eyeliner, extending in twirls up to her temples. Nothing was shown below her neck, although angel wings could be seen emerging from her back. Carol knew immediately who the drawing was of, and felt a lump form in her throat. She wasn’t _over_ Brandy, she’d just learned to not think of her. That didn’t matter now, as she looked down at the portrait of the girl she loved. She felt something tug inside her, and she knew what she had to do.

Carol was never one to do anything without a push, she definitely wasn’t _cowardly_ but she certainly wasn’t assertive. She was aggressive, sure, but not assertive. She didn’t know how to go to see her, knowing she couldn’t get off the bus anywhere but home without Barb making a fuss. Carol slumped back in her seat, as anxious as she had been in a while.

When the evening rolled around, her parents left to meet with Debbie’s coach. Carol and Barb were left to babysit. Carol immediately took the opportunity to leave and jumped up to get out the door. She was stopped by her sister’s slender figure in front of her.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Carol’s inhaled. “Doesn’t matter.” She muttered, keeping her head down

Barb leaned down to force her to make eye contact. “Yeah, yeah it kinda does. If I have to babysit the twat, you do too.” Barb looked over to Debbie sitting in front of the television, who was oblivious as always. “Besides, don’t you want to fuck with her?”

Carol rolled her eyes. “I’ve got study group. Studying. For finals.”

Barb scoffed, “Of course _that’s_ what you’re sneaking out for.”

Carol took her sister’s jab at her as an all clear to leave.

“Since when do you care about your grades?”

 _Since I fell hopelessly in love with Brandy Louis._ “Since now?” Carol retorted, exiting through the door and slamming it behind her. She hated that Barb had to be such a bitch without reason, but she had more important things to worry about.

Carol knew the route to Brandy’s house by heart. She practically ran to the address, and she mentally praised there were no cars in the driveway, as the last thing she needed was to meet her family. They didn’t sound pleasant from the few times Brandy had spoken about them. She prayed Brandy herself would be home, as she walked up to the door. Carol was used to knocking, but she instead rang the doorbell and waited outside.

The door was opened by a boy with blonde hair, who couldn’t have been taller than five feet. He had a thin figure, similar to Brandy, but maintained a sloppy appearance.

Carol forced a smile, she hated most kids but she knew being rude wouldn’t get her anywhere. “Hi there, do you-“

The kid stomped off, followed by yelling Brandy’s name loud enough to be heard throughout the house. Brandy came down the stairs, a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and her hair tousled. She looked completely nonchalant, until she noticed Carol standing at the door.

Her cigarette nearly dropped out of her mouth as she stood in shock. “Carol?”

Carol nodded, feeling her heart lift and drop at the same time. She was exhilarated to see Brandy, for sure. But, the state of her was disheartening. “Were you um-“ Carol asked awkwardly, looking at her messy hair and faded makeup. “-with someone?”

Brandy laughed, clearly amused. “No-no.” She held a strand of her hair up, bouncing it back onto her shoulder. “I just let loose when I get home, I don’t-“ Her voice died down, coming to the realization of what Carol was asking. “Why?”

Carol’s eyes widened, unprepared for the question. “I-I don’t know. Just wondering.”

Brandy’s tone clearly changed, as she exhaled and lowered her eyes to the ground. “Carol, why are you here?” She asked, looking back up at her as she awaited an answer.

Carol breathed deeply, closing her eyes. It took all the courage held inside of her as she spoke, “Because I’m still in love with you.”

Brandy took a moment to process the words spoken to her. She displayed a shocked expression on her face at first, then shifting towards pleasantly surprised, finally coming to a somewhat disappointed state.

“Carol I-“

A auburn-haired girl followed downstairs, “C’mon Brandy.” She said in a flirtatious tone.

Brandy’s eyes closed, as she let out an exhausted sigh. “We’re just studying.”

Carol scoffed at the usage of the same excuse she had made to come here. “Yeah.” Carol replied, tears forming in her eyes. “Have fun with that.” She slammed the door behind her, her heart crumbling into pieces as she walked away.

Brandy’s eyes watered up as well as she watched her leave through the window. She wanted to scream for her to come back, and she didn’t know why she didn’t. But, _she didn’t._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope the chapter title didn’t freak you guys out too much. Nobody’s dying...not yet anyway ;)


	8. With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the chapter is quite angsty but there’s fluff as well I promise! Then, because I am trash and a lot of y’all are as well, there’s smut at the end of the chapter. (Begins at “lead the way” if you’d like to skip it.)

Summer was quite uneventful for Carol Denning. She’d lie in bed and listen to sad music, and then Barb would drop by and tell her to “turn that shit down” and she’d play it louder. She drew a lot, things like thorned roses and rainy skies at home, and her little sister’s death when she was dragged to gymnastic meets.

Carol remembered when Barb holed herself up in her room and ate all the ice cream in the fridge when some football player dumped her for an upperclassman her freshman year. Maybe, this was like that.

Carol didn’t go outside much, she’d either be reading Stephen King novels in the dark, or tracing her sketches as her ceiling fan spun around her room.

Junior year felt like a new start, a good distraction and she was just glad to get out of the house other than Debbie’s stupid competitions.

Her alarm clock caused her to miss the bus, so she barely made it to school on time. As she rushed into her first hour, psychics, only one seat was open. Next to the one and only, Brandy Louis.

Brandy was talking to the girl next to her and didn’t realize Carol sitting there until roll was called. As she heard the name, “ _Carol Denning_ ”. She could feel her heart stop.

Carol’s voice was weak, due to her nerves. It had been months and Brandy still has this hold on her. She hated it. Once roll was finished the teacher began to talk,

“The person next to you is your lab partner for the quarter. Now here’s the papers, get to work.” She spoke in a monotone voice, handing out papers to each row.

Carol gulped and turned to Brandy, who was clearly just as uncomfortable as her. The two girls walked slowly to the lab table.

“Lab on the first day,” Brandy muttered. “how dumb.”

“Yeah.”

Brandy looked down and began to trace the veins on her wrist. “How have you been?”

_Awful_. “Good, you?”

“Great.”

The two girls remained quiet for the rest of the period, leaving as quickly as they could when the bell rung.

The day came to an end soon enough, being just about as exciting as any first day was. Carol got onto the bus as she felt her backpack tugged at behind her. She turned around to see Brandy, her makeup significantly worn since the last time she saw her, and her eyes red enough to suggest she was crying.

“I can’t stand it.” She spoke. Her raspy voice could barely be heard over the sound of the bus, and the overlapping conversations of students nearby. “I-I love you, Carol.” She paused. “Do you, um, still love me?”

Carol stared at her for what seemed like an eternity to both of them, then quickly embraced her. She longed to kiss her soft lips, but their location obviously prohibited them to do such a thing. Even the hug was abnormal. “I never stopped.” Carol reassured her.

Brandy hugged her back, clutching her dirty blonde hair. “Neither did I.” She spoke.

The two girls remained there for longer than any normal pair of friends would, mostly because they weren’t friends at all. They were slow to pull apart, but Brandy let go of her when she could see the annoyed bus driver eyeing them.

“No need to wait.” She smiled. “She’s coming with me.”

The bus driver rolled his eyes and shut the door as Brandy grabbed Carol’s hand and began to lead the way back to her house.

“What did I tell you about moisturizing? Your hands are as dry as ever.” Brandy stated, feeling Carol’s cracked hands through her fingers.

Carol gulped, not having a response. She hadn’t been taking care of herself too well these past few months and she knew it showed.

“You haven’t been good, have you?” Brandy asked as they continued to walk.

Carol remained silent with her eyes fixed on the ground. Their reunion couldn’t wash away the months of pain they’d suffered no matter how much Brandy tried.

“You know, I never slept with her,” she muttered.

Carol looked up back up.

“I tried. A week or so after school got out. I thought I could go back to the way things were before you. But, I couldn’t and I can’t.” She looked at Carol, biting her lip. “and I never got your number.” Brandy said, in a deep tone imitating the guys that would hit on them at bars.

As Brandy collected herself she continued, “I wanted to see you so bad. But I figured you’d hated me by then, and I just didn’t know how to.”

Carol immediately turned her head towards her, inhaling. “I didn’t, I don’t. That was the worst part. I could never hate you, I just couldn’t no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hate you.”

Brandy began blushing, which Carol immediately noticed. “God, you’re such a _girl_.” She mocked.

Brandy chuckled. “Um, yeah, hence why you were with me?”

“Oh, shut up. Carol smiled and rolled her eyes. “But, yeah I guess so.”

“So…want to be with me again?” Brandy asked, her voice suggesting she was joking, but her face clearly displaying otherwise.

“Brandy Louis,” Carol teased. “ _are you asking me out_?”

“I was trying to but you’re ruining it.” Brandy japed, looking away and frowning in a sarcastic tone.

“Okay, enough enough. Yeah, yeah I would.”

Brandy immediately changed her expression to a widespread grin. “Awesome.” She beamed, leaning in closer to Carol to kiss her, forgetting that she couldn’t except behind closed doors.

Carol pushed her off. “We can’t, not here.”

Brandy smirked, “So, we can _somewhere else_?”

Carol looked back at her and eyed her up and down, “Lead the way.”

The girls practically ran back to Brandy’s house, slamming the door behind them. They locked lips and kissed like they hadn’t seen eachother in years. Brandy kept a hand on Carol’s cheek, keeping her steady. Her lips became to travel down to her neck, leaving faint kiss marks as she went. The kiss marks turned into bite marks, trailing down the lower part of her neck. As Brandy reached her collarbone, she slid her hand into her jeans.

“Time to show you just how much I missed you.”

She continued to kiss her as she circled her fingers around Carol’s clit. Brandy began to step back, pulling both of their bodies towards the couch. To her dismay, the couch was covered in trashy magazines and remote controlled toys. She began shoving them onto the floor, only for one of the firetruck to start beeping.

“Way to ruin a mood, little brother.” Brandy turned back to Carol, keeping her cool. “You’d think he’d be too old for toys and shit.”

“Wait, he’s not here, is he?” Carol asked, feeling herself begin to worry.

“No.” Brandy smirked. “…exactly. He is not.”

She grabbed Carol’s arms and lightly pushed her to the ground. She wanted to be gentle, for even carpeted floors can be painful to fall unto, but that was the last bit of gentle Carol would be seeing from her right now. Brandy pressed her lips up against Carol’s, kissing her passionately as she unbuttoned her jeans and slid them off of her. She through the denim pants to the side and lowered her kisses once more, earning moans from Carol along the way. She didn’t waste any time in doing so, stopping only to suck on the skin next to her hipbone.

“I didn’t forget.”

Carol gasped, knowing that spot always got her going for some reason. The aching between her legs only got more intense as Brandy continued. Finally, she spread her legs apart and started going down on her. Carol’s head bent back in pleasure and her hips bucked up.

Brandy looked up every few seconds, to savor Carol’s exhilarated expressions and to make eye contact every time she looked back. It only made the pleasure more intense for Carol, her moans getting progressively louder and her motions becoming more rigid.

Brandy could feel her getting close, so she grabbed onto the thighs her head was between and looked back up at her.

“O-oh my god. P-please.”

She ran her fingers down Carol’s clit, torturing her as she begged for release. Just as she began to close her eyes, Brandy kissed her center and ran her tongue back into it, sending her over the edge unexpectedly. Carol’s head jerked back while the rest of her body jerked upwards, herself practically screaming in pleasure.

Brandy sat back, smirking at the state of her. As Carol caught her breath, she coaxed, “You’re not getting off that easy.”

Brandy only had time to raise an eyebrow in question before Carol slammed herself against her, kissing her roughly. She moved her hand down to Brandy’s breast, groping it as she felt her hot breath against her face. Carol only stopped to look up at her, making sure she was enjoying it. Brandy didn’t bother to look back, her face already displaying euphoria. Carol inched her hips closer to hers and began kissing her neck.

Brandy moaned in pleasure as she left a trail hickeys on her neck. Carol hand went down to her black pants, unbuttoning them quickly. She looked back up at Brandy one more time, this time causing her to look back. Neither of them said a word but their eye contact said everything.

Carol slipped her fingers inside of her with ease, due to her already being soaking wet from arousal. She started slow, pacing her fingers rhythmically while still giving attention to her lips. She took her time, gradually getting faster with each thrust. Brandy’s moans got progressively louder, with her mutters going from “ _baby_ ” to “ _fucking hell_!” and Carol loved every second of it. As her breaths became louder and sloppier, Carol quickened her pace, rubbing her clit with her thumb and thrusting her fingers in and out of her.

Carol could feel Brandy was on the edge, and she used her free hand to raise her head up to face her own. Carol kissed her softly and delivered a final thrust sending Brandy into her climax. Her body lurched forward as she came, leaving Carol holding her shaking body.

As her body calmed she laid down on the floor, followed by Carol laying down beside her.

“I’m so glad you’re with me again.”

Carol smiled and reached for Brandy’s hand. “ _Always_.” Their fingers interlocked. “Always with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I made their breakup quick (although it was for months in the story, i’m talking about the time jump) - but it makes sense for the story I promise! standpoint wise, I think we’re about halfway through the story so get ready for inclusion of the s6 storyline coming up soon!!!


	9. Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol surprises Brandy on their one year anniversary of meeting eachother. Transition chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! This chapter IS fairly short but it is a transition chapter of sorts. More notes towards the end about why it’s been a while, and what to expect going forward. Thank you for reading as always!

Carol had just gotten her driver’s license, her goal was to get it before turning 17. She’d succeeded, her birthday coming up in a few months time. To tell the truth, she didn’t even care about it that much. She could simply walk to wherever it was she needed to go, it kept her in shape and gave her time to herself to think. She wasn’t anxious to use it for the reasons other kids were. She was never the type to go to parties, not that she was invited anyways.

Carol had mostly gotten her license so Barb would stop being such a nag about it, and so she had an excuse to leave the hellhole that was the Denning household.

Times like these were times she was grateful to have it. She had slipped out of the house for a grocery run, hiding a bouquet of roses in her winter coat as she hurriedly set down the paper bags on the kitchen counter. She ran upstairs before anyone would question why she was holding her coat like she was, or why she was wearing it anyway when it was only the beginning of November.

She shut the door to her room rather loudly, but she was too anxious to shut it otherwise. Carol unzipped her heavy jacket to reveal a bouquet of roses. They were fresh and red and they costed $15. She wasn’t glad to be out that much, but she would’ve bought them had they costed $100. Tomorrow was a year since she had gotten to know Brandy, and she was as giddy as a 5 year old about it.

The next morning, she snuck out early, making the excuse that she’d left something at school and she was going to pick it up, along with a coffee run beforehand. She wore the same heavy coat she did last night, hiding the roses in the same spot, as to not to crush them in her backpack.

She rang the doorbell, and just as she waited, she saw Brandy through a second floor window. She immediately began to wave her arms across her chest in a frantic manner, as to signal what she was doing was a bad idea.

Just as Carol heard the door swing open, she ran to the bushes placed to the left of the house.

A low grunt could be heard, following by a deep and raspy voice. “Fuckin’ kids.” The man didn’t sound happy, so Carol was glad to have been able to avoid him. The door slammed behind him, and Carol slowly tip toed out. She again caught sight of Brandy, who was mouthing the word “back”. Carol nodded, running towards the back of the house.

In two minutes, a seemingly hidden door cracked open. It was silent, Brandy obviously taking notice of how to avoid the creak. She sported a flight jacket and black leggings that clung to her legs.

She ran to Carol, kissing her softly but quickly. As she stepped back, she tugged at Carol’s winter coat playfully, “You _that_ cold?” She asked.

Carol didn’t answer, instead opening her coat to reveal a bouquet of roses. Brandy’s eyes widened at the sight, a smile creeping upon her lips.

“For me?” She asked, tracing her finger across the plastic covering.

Carol pulled the roses back towards her body. “No.” She answered sharply. “For Barb.”

Brandy raised an eyebrow in confusion as Carol smiled and handed the bouquet back to her. “Kidding. Of course they’re for you.”

Brandy held the flowers close to her, smiling in content.

“It’s been a year now.” Carol spoke, breaking the silence.

Brandy held a rose between her fingers, bringing it to her face. Her eyes looked back up to Carol’s as she grinned. “I’ll be damned.”

Carol let out a small laugh, grinning back at her. “Yeah.” She reached to hold Brandy’s free hand. “Meeting you was, easily the best thing I’ve done.”

Brandy bit her lip, her eyes shying downward in bashfulness. Her hand extended to meet Carol’s. “Here’s to many more.” She spoke. Carol nodded and, in return, grabbed her hand and locked her fingers in it.

The two girls stared in admiration at each other, both being in complete bliss. As they did so, blood began to drip down Brandy’s wrist. As she noticed, she immediately pulled her hand back and winced. She noticed a cut had appeared on her hand, likely due pricking herself on one of the rose’s thorns. They both felt a twinge in their chest, neither speaking up about it.

Carol pulled a small bandage out of her bag and gently applied it to Brandy’s hand. The pair interlocked their hands again, ignoring any foreboding feeling they might’ve felt. In this moment they were just teenagers in love, completely unaware of what was about to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so we are officially at the halfway point! s6 events start next chapter, and the plot will be getting darker. Also, sorry for such a long wait..school has been picking up and life has been pretty stressful lately! I am back onto writing now and will be uploading chapters with not as much time in between.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so there’s the first chapter, it was sort of an introduction of sorts. Not exactly a prologue but the writing style will be quite different for the rest of the chapters, less dialogue centric and more writing. I’ll have the second chapter up this evening!  
> Let me know what you think :))
> 
> (also I’m aware Carol has scenes where’s she smoking, but those were all in Litchfield so in this storyline she doesn’t start smoking until then.)


End file.
